News Release

June 2, 2014

DPS Joins National Effort to Inspect Commercial Vehicles

AUSTIN – Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, inspectors and investigators will participate in intensified commercial vehicle inspections from June 3 – June 5 as part of Roadcheck 2014, a nationwide three-day enforcement effort to increase motor carrier, vehicle, driver and cargo safety and security. DPS troopers will be on the lookout for 18-wheelers and buses with serious equipment violations and drivers not in compliance with state and federal requirements.

“DPS is committed to making sure Texas roadways are safe for all travelers, and Roadcheck 2014 is another opportunity for us to continue our commitment promoting safe driving practices and compliance regarding commercial vehicles and their drivers,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “In order to reduce crashes and protect public safety, we call on all drivers – commercial and passenger – to obey traffic laws and avoid aggressive driving behaviors in the interest of saving lives and reducing serious injury.”

In addition to Roadcheck, DPS periodically carries out additional enforcement efforts in targeted areas where unsafe trucks or buses may be operating.

During Roadcheck 2014, specially trained troopers and civilian personnel will inspect commercial vehicles for equipment violations involving brakes, tires, lights and loading standards. Troopers will check driver licenses and log books, which document how long the driver has been on the road. In conjunction with these efforts, DPS will also be watching for aggressive passenger vehicle drivers, the cause of most commercial vehicle crashes.

In2013, DPS and other Texas law enforcement agencies participating in Roadcheck inspected 9,228 commercial vehicles, compared to approximately 8,100 in 2012. The inspections found that approximately 21 percent of the vehicles had serious violations that required the truck or bus be placed out of service until repairs could be made. Inspectors also placed 248 drivers out of service for various violations, including not properly tracking hours of driving and failing to have the proper type of license for the vehicle being driven.

Sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Association (CVSA), the Roadcheck program, which stretches from Mexico to Canada, is designed to reduce commercial vehicle highway fatalities through increased vehicle safety. According to the CVSA, the program has been responsible for more than a million roadside inspections and saved hundreds of lives to date.